I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I know I did. Family sure knows how to make a guy smile. Anyway, jumping right into the fray...
This year has been weird. A new experience for sure. The first half wasn't really that exciting. There were incidents, sure. My truck finally bit the big one. I moved out into the house I am currently living in with my (then) girlfriend and my brother. But the biggest change everyone knows about already. Being single!
I haven't been single in 5 years. I'm not sure I remember how to be. I mean sure, my confidence is about as high as it has ever been, especially since I've dropped SO much weight. But the fact of the matter remains that I really don't know how to be single right now. I mean, honestly, what does a woman want to hear from some stranger that walks up to her randomly? Pick up lines are NOT my style. I'm not that guy, I never have been, and I never will be. A simple hello might suffice, but at the same time women all have a preconceived notion about men that they are all just about getting into their pants. That might be a rampant stereotype but, believe it or not, there are some of us that are just looking for someone to talk to. I guess this is something that I'll have to progress into as the time wears on.
Don't get me wrong. I'm kind of excited to be single again. It's not unlike uncharted territory. I'm like Columbus discovering the Americas. I'm Guy Montag when he grabs that first book and reads it. My world has been turned on its side, and I like it. Meeting new people is always fun to me, but at the same time I'm scared to get back out there. Rejection is not something I'm used to, much less able to take with a grain of salt. :P
I've dropped a total of about 30 pounds since all of this went down. I'm looking at dropping another 30 by my sister's wedding. I'm doing it the healthy way this time: Through diet and exercise. It amazes me just how much changing your diet can help you. I've cut out all sweets save the natural ones: Fruit. I've pretty much stopped eating all processed foods, and am cooking for myself on a daily basis. I still have the occasional pizza or something of the like, but I'm trying to cut down on that as much as I possibly can. Carrots, rices, bran cereal, things like this are my staples. I eat very little red meat, I get my daily protein and such from it surely, but It's no longer the priciple item of my meals. I'm enjoying eating like this, honestly. I don't even crave things like ice cream anymore. I get all the sweet treats from things like pears or apples. I get full from a 500-700 calorie meal. It's kind of awesome. I'm gonna be 220 in no time. :D
I'm excited! I'm excited to get back into school. I'm excited to try and make myself a better person. I'm excited to put my brain to use again. It's been stagnant for so long that I think I'm going to have a rude awakening once I actually get back into the swing of things. I'll take it all in stride though. Goal of my first semester: The Dean's List. Ready.... BEGIN.
It looks like I'm going to be moving sometime soon. I'm looking for a roommate, because I'm only looking at being inside this house for another year. Another house is calling me. My parents bought a house the past week as an investment. They are going to let me live there, and it's a solid 500 square feet larger than this one, not even including the basement. They got it for almost 30,000 dollars UNDER the appraised worth of the house. Amazing. You should have seen what I'm going to say next coming, under the circumstances. The caveat is that it is a SHIT. HOLE. We're talking probably close to a years' worth of renovations before it even becomes livable. I'm ready and raring to go on this one, because the outside looks just lovely from the pictures I've seen. It's location is over by Southeast high school, off of 40th and Van Dorn. Not quite as centralized as the house I'm living in now, but it's close enough to everything that I won't mind. While I do enjoy the house I'm living in now. I really do. The memories that I've made here are pretty good, aside from the obvious one. I wouldn't mind another 500 square feet of room!
I have had a lot of internal and external changes. I liken myself to a housing renovation. I'm knocking out walls, I'm pulling up shitty toilets, I'm exterminating rodents, I'm breaking down barriers to progression. I am such a better person for having gone through all of this shit. I'm a better man. I'm a better friend. I'm a better brother. I'm a better son. In short, I'm still the same old Johnny... just better. Version 2.0 is in effect.
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I think I wanna try this out for myself. I'm so tired of being over weight. Let me tell you, the little guy on the wii fit that tells you your bmi, makes me depressed.
ReplyDeleteI know it's difficult to cut out those things that you love....it will probably be really hard, since I live with Joe. That bastard can eat anything and everything he wants, and not gain an ounce.
My problem, is figuring out what types of things I should eat. What types of things should I cook for myself? Are you just making it up as you go? Or do you have some source you could share? ^_~
Haha, I hate that little guy too. I'm going to weigh more than I'm supposed to anyway, just because I have a very broad frame.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Ashley, it wasn't hard for me at all to cut out those things. It's kind of amazing how little you need that processed garbage once you really start to eat well. Don't get me wrong, I would eat ice cream if it were set in front of me, but I wouldn't actively seek it out. It's going to be doubly hard for you because you have Joe and the kids. These are examples of things I've been cooking for myself since I've been losing weight:
Breakfast: HIGH FIBER cereal. Can't emphasize that enough. All the sugar and other garbage that is in other cereals will just add to your frustration. You can sweeten up the cereal with some fresh, cut, fruit if you want. There are some cereals out there that actually aren't that bad. I've been eating Mini-Wheats.
Scrambled eggs with diced tomatoes and jalapenos in them, topped with tobasco sauce or salsa. I usually have 2 sides of fresh fruit as well to get fiber.
Other meals: 2-3 medium sized chicken tenders, seasons and baked. I usually cook something like rice to make a bed for the chicken. 1 cup of rice + the chicken usually fills me up. Today I had the chicken, mashed potatoes, and a bowl of grapes for lunch. It was amazing.
General tips are to try to keep the food groups in balance. I used to make a huge hunk of meat, and then eat that with minimal veggies or something like that. Now, it's almost equal parts veggie/bread/meat meals.
I also have a "source" I guess. I'll talk to ya about it when I have more time though! I gotta head out to work.
That sounds doable. I'm gonna have to go shopping tonight. ^_^
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